EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Traditional corporate wellness has failed to move the needle on America's chronic disease crisis. But one self-insured employer decided to try something radically different. Central Garden & Pet (CGP), facing soaring healthcare costs and low employee engagement, piloted an intensive therapeutic lifestyle change program (ITLCP): the PLANTSTRONG by Metabite 12-week program. The result? Employees reversed diabetes and hypertension, lost weight, reduced medication use, and asked for more. This success story explores the CGP journey and how their leadership may be a roadmap for other employers.
A Legacy of Health: Why Central Acted
When Central Garden & Pet Chairman Bill Brown asked what kind of legacy he wanted to leave his workforce, he chose to prioritize their health. The usual wellness offer of apps, gym reimbursements and low-impact incentives wasn't working. With healthcare spend as the second-largest corporate expense after salaries, CGP took action. The company launched the PLANTSTRONG by Metabite 12-week program to bring a Food as Medicine solution directly to its employees.
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The Intervention: A Real Program for Real People
The PLANTSTRONG by Metabite 12-week program runs nationwide and delivers:
- Shelf-stable, medically tailored pantry kits
- AI-based mobile app with customized large language model (LLM), image recognition for food images and customer branding
- Daily coaching using multiple behavior change models empowering employees to make changes at a pace that is sustainable for them
- Short video lessons each week explaining the science behind the benefits of real food rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins
- At-home biometric testing and connected devices
- A supportive peer community
This was not an ordinary corporate wellness program. It was a high-touch, high-engagement, therapeutic intervention grounded in clinical evidence, and it reached employees from the South to the West Coast with culturally sensitive, accessible materials.
“I lost 20 pounds, got off my statin, and reduced my insulin.”
Outcomes That Matter
Employees benefitted from:
- Reversal of pre-diabetes and diabetes in participants.
- Average weight loss of 4.4% among those overweight or obese, with 72% losing weight.30+ lbs weight loss in multiple cases
- Reduced or eliminated type 2 diabetes, cholesterol lowering, and high blood pressure medication.
- 47% achieved a 10% LDL reduction or reduced cholesterol medication, with as much as a 23% drop in LDL.
- 58% improved blood pressure or reduced medication, with some participants needing to stop or reduce medications to avoid side effects of being overmedicated.
- Enthusiastic engagement with >5% of employees enrolled, with many being recruited by voluntary program ambassadors, and 73% staying engaged for at least 8 of the 12 weeks.
- Extraordinary Net Promoter Score of 76 (industry average 50–70) and employee demand for a continuation program
“I was doing Weight Watchers at the same time and honestly, I liked this program better.”